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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


BULLETIN  No.   124 


MARKETING    THE   MUSKMELON 


BY  JOHN  W.  LLOYD 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  APRIL,  1908 


SUMMARY  OF  BULLETIN  No.    124 

1.  The  leading  type  of  muskmelon  grown  in  Illinois  for  the  general 
market  is  the  Netted  Gem,  and  the  matter  presented  in  this  bulletin  has  spe- 
cial reference  to  the  marketing  of  this  type.  Page  295 

2.  The  one-third   bushel   climax    basket  is  the  standard   package  for 
Illinois  melons,  though  other  packages  are  sometimes  used  for  odd  sizes  or 
for  fancy  stock.  Page  295 

3.  Illinois  gem  melons  intended  for  shipment  to  the  Chicago  market 
should,  as  a  rule,  be  picked  as  soon  as  the  fruit  will  part  readily  from  the 
stem,  but  not  before.  Page  299 

4.  Well  graded  melons  sell  better  than  ungraded  stock.  Page  302 

5.  The  quality  of  a  melon  is  the  primary  factor  which  determines  its 
grade.     The  relation  between  the  netting  of  a  melon  and  its  quality,  makes 
it  possible  to  grade  melons  with  extreme  accuracy  as  to  quality,  on  the  basis 
of  netting.  Page  303 

6.  The  full  benefit  of  grading   cannot  be  secured  unless  methods  of 
packing  are  employed  which  will  enable  the  melons  to  present  an  attractive 
appearance  upon  the  market.  Page  306 

7.  Different  styles  of  pack  should  be  adopted  for  melons  of  different 
sizes.  Page  307 

8.  A  convenient  packing  shed  facilitates  proper  grading  and  packing. 

Page  313 

9.  To  handle  the  melon  crop  properly,  the  working  force  must  be  thor- 
oughly organized,  and  each  person  trained  for  his  particular  duty.    Page  318 

10.  Melons  may  be  shipped  by  express  to  the  smaller  cities,  or  by  freight 
to  the  large  cities,  or  sold  to  buyers  at  the  shipping  point.  Page  319 

11.  The  most  satisfactory  way  of  suppling  melons  to  the  smaller  cities 
is  to  ship  directly  to  one  high-class  retailer  in  each  city.  Page  320 

12.  The  safest  plan  to  follow  in  shipping  melons  to  a  large  city  market 
is  for  the  grower  to  make  arragements  with  some  trustworthy  commission 
firm  to  handle  his  entire  product.  Page  321 


MARKETING    THE    MUSKMELON 

BY  JOHN   W.   L,L<OYD,   ASSISTANT  CHIEF  IN   OLERICULTURE 

For  several  years  the  Illinois  Agricultural  Experiment  Station 
has  been  making  studies  in  reference  to  the  marketing  of  musk- 
melons.  The  results  of  these  studies  are  given  in  the  present  pub- 
lication. After  a  brief  consideration  of  the  market  demands  in 
reference  to  types  of  melons  and  packages,  the  most  approved 
method  of  handling  the  crop  is  given  in  detail,  including  picking, 
grading,  packing,  the  construction  of  packing  sheds,  and  the  organi- 
zation of  the  working  force.  This  is  followed  by  a  discussion  re- 
garding various  methods  of  selling  the  crop. 

MARKET  DEMANDS 

While  various  types  of  muskmelon  may  be  disposed  of  upon  a 
local  market,  there  are  certain  types  which  are  recognized  as  stand- 
ards in  the  large  city  markets ;  and  it  is  seldom  wise  to  attempt  to 
force  upon  a  general  market  a  variety  not  recognized  as  a  standard 
in  that  particular  market.  In  the  Chicago  market  the  sorts  most  in 
demand  are  the  Netted  Gem,  or  Rocky  Ford  type,  and  the  Osage  ;* 
and  since  Chicago  is  the  leading  market  for  Illinois  melons,  these 
two  types  would  necessarily  constitute  a  large  proportion  of  the 
Illinois  product.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Osage  is  not  extensively 
grown  in  Illinois,  so  that  nearly  all  the  muskmelons  produced  in 
this  State  for  the  general  market  are  of  the  Netted  Gem  type.  The 
matter  presented  in  this  publication  will,  therefore,  have  special 
reference  to  the  marketing  of  Gem  melons. 

PACKAGES 

Not  only  are  certain  varieties  of  melons  recognized  as  standards, 
but  it  is  also  true  that  certain  packages  are  recognized  as  standard 
for  melons  from  a  given  region.  For  example,  the  market  expects 
to  handle  Colorado  melons  in  crates  (12X12X22^  inches,  inside 
measure)  containing  45  melons  each,  and  Illinois  melons  in  one- 
third  bushel  climax  baskets.  It  is  usually  unwise  to  depart  from 

*In  addition  to  these  types,  the  Burrell  Gem  has  recently  created  quite  a  sensation  on 
theChicag-o  market;  but  since  attempts  to  grow  this  variety  in  Illinois  have  thus  far  proved 
unsatisfactory,  the  marketing  of  this  melon  need  not  be  considered  here. 

295 


296 


BULLETIN  No.  124. 


[April, 


the  standard  package  for  the  particular  region  except  for  the  pack- 
ing of  odd  sizes,  and  usually  there,  is  another  package  recognized  in 
th  market  as  suitable  for  such  use.  For  example,  the  Rocky  Ford 
pony  crate  (11X11X22*4  inches)  containing  54  melons  is  well 
known  in  the  market.  The  one-third  bushel  climax  basket  lends 
itself  readily  to  the  accommodation  of  melons  of  various  sizes,  yet 
it  is  occasionally  more  convenient  to  use  some  other  package  for 
the  over-grown  specimens  of  Illinois  melons.  The  package  used  for 
this  purpose  will  depend  upon  the  packages  that  are  available  at  the 
particular  shipping  point  in  question.  In  a  tomato  region,  the  four- 
basket  flat,  with  the  baskets  removed,  is  sometimes  used  for  packing 
the  large  melons.  The  inside  dimensions  of  each  compartment  of 
the  flat  are  13X10^4  X4JM5  inches.  Six  melons  are  packed  in  each 
compartment,  and  to  fit  snugly  and  make  a  neat  package  they  must 
be  approximately  uniform  in  size  and  shape,  averaging  4^  by  5^5 


FIG.  i.    FLAT  AND  CRATE  OF  FANCY  ILLINOIS  MELONS. 

inches.  (See  Fig.  i.)  In  regions  from  which  summer  apples  are 
shipped  in  boxes,  the  extremely  large  melons  are  often  packed  in 
the  "bushel"  apple  box.  In  other  regions,  the  5o-pound  rhubarb 
box  is  employed.  Both  these  boxes  have  nXn  inch  heads.  The 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON. 


297 


side  slats  of  the  apple  box  are  18  inches  long,  and  those  of  the  rhu- 
barb box  22  inches. 

In  addition  to  the  climax  basket  and  the  packages  for  odd  sizes 
mentioned  above,  another  package  is  used  in  Illinois  to  a  limited 
extent.  It  is  a  slatted  crate,  8X8X17  inches,  inside  measure,  and 
accommodates  sixteen  melons  averaging  four  inches  wide  by  four 
and  one-fourth  inches  long,  and  weighing  approximately  one  and 
one-fourth  pounds  each.  It  is  especially  adapted  for  use  in  the 
packing  of  fancy  stock,  and  such  melons  appear  to  much  better  ad- 
vantage in  a. crate  of  this  kind  than  in  a  basket.  The  chief  objection 


FIG.  2.    FLAT  AND  CRATE  OF  FANCY  MELONS,  WITH  COVERS  ON,  READY 

FOR  SHIPMENT. 

to  the  use  of  this  crate  is  that  it  will  accommodate  only  one  size  and 
shape  of  melon,  and  that  Illinois  melons  do  not  grow  uniformly  to 
this  shape  and  size.  In  a  wet  season  they  grow  too  large  and  in  a 
dry  season  too  small,  so  that  it  often  occurs  that  only  a  small  pro- 
portion of  the  crop  can  be  packed  in  crates.  This  package  is  not  yet 
appreciated  on  the  market  as  fully  as  its  merits  warrant,  but  is  des- 
tined to  become  popular  with  the  better  class  of  trade  who  desire 
to  see  the  melons  they  purchase.  It  may  in  time  become  the  stand- 
ard package  for  fancy  stock. 


298  BULLETIN  No.  124.  [ April, 


HANDLING  THE   CROP 

Even  if  a  standard  variety  of  melon  is  grown  and  standard 
packages  employed,  unless  the  melons  are  handled  in  such  a  way 
as  to  reach  the  market  in  a  condition  acceptable  to  the  trade,  the 
best  results  in  reference  to  prices  and  profits  cannot  be  secured.  The 
methods  employed  in  the  picking,  grading  and  packing  of  the  mel- 
ons have  an  important  influence  upon  their  condition  and  appear- 
ance when  they  reach  the  market. 

PICKING 

There  is  considerable  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  exact  stage 
of  maturity  at  which  melons  should  be  picked  for  shipment.  If 
allowed  to  become  too  ripe  before  picking,  they  become  soft  by  the 
time  they  reach  the  market,  and  often  must  be  sacrificed  in  order  to 
effect  an  immediate  sale.  If  picked  too  green,  the  melons  reach  mar- 
ket in  firm  condition,  but  are  lacking  in  flavor,  and  are  not  desired 
by  the  best  trade.  It  is  a  nice  point  to  pick  melons  at  such  a  degree 
of  ripeness  that  they  will  reach  the  market  in  firm  condition,  and 
yet  possess  the  requisite  flavor.  The  farther  from  market  the  mel- 
ons are  produced,  the  less  mature  they  must  be  when  picked.  Fur- 
thermore, the  rapidity  of  softening  after  picking  varies  with  the 
temperature  to  which  the  melons  are  subjected.  The  cooler  they 
can  be  kept  after  picking,  the  longer  they  can  be  allowed  to  remain 
on  the  vines  and  the  better  flavor  they  will  have.  It  is,  therefore, 
essential  that  the  melons  be  placed  in  the  shade  as  soon  as  possible 
after  picking,  and  be  kept  shaded  until  they  are  loaded  into  the  car. 
For  the  same  reason,  riper  melons  can  be  shipped  under  refrigera- 
tion than  in  ventilated  cars.  It  is  also  true  that  melons  shipped  dur- 
ing excessively  hot  weather,  unless  under  refrigeration,  will  soften 
more  rapidly  than  those  shipped  during  cooler  weather.  The  con- 
dition of  the  vines  and  the  rapidity  of  ripening  of  the  melons  in  the 
field  will  also  have  a  bearing  upon  the  stage  of  maturity  at  which 
they  should  be  picked.  Early  in  the  shipping  season,  when  the  vines 
are  in  full  vigor  and  the  melons  ripening  slowly,  the  fruits  may 
safely  be  left  upon  the  vines  until  more  mature  than  would  be  safe 
later  in  the  season  when  the  plants  have  become  somewhat  weak- 
ened, or,  by  reason  of  excessive  heat,  the  melons  are  ripening  very 
rapidly.  Melons  should  not  be  picked  at  the  same  degree  of  ma- 
turity under  different  conditions  of  ripening,  methods  of  transpor- 
tation, and  distances  from  market. 


1908.]  MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON.  299 

While  it  is  true  that  no  rule  can  be  given  for  picking  melons 
that  will  apply  under  all  conditions,  and  that  the  grower  must  exer- 
cise judgment  in  reference  to  each  day's  picking,  the  ideal  will  be 
attained  when  the  conditions  are  such  that  the  melons  will  reach  the 
market  in  the  best  condition  if  picked  as  soon  as  the  fruit  will  part 
readily  from  the  stem  when  the  latter  is  pressed  with  the  thumb  or 
finger.  There  is  a  tendency  among  some  growers  to  pick  consid- 
erably before  this  point  has  been  reached,  in  order  to  run  no  risk 
of  £he  melons  becoming  soft  in  transit.  In  fact,  some  growers  make 
a  practice  of  picking  the  melons  before  a  crack  appears  about  the 
stem  or  any  change  of  color  takes  place,  even  on  the  under  side  of 
the  fruit. 

In  order  to  secure  accurate  data  in  reference  to  the  influence  of 
the  time  of  picking  upon  the  condition  and  quality  of  melons  when 
they  reach  the  consumer,  five  baskets  of  melons  picked  at  different 
degrees  of  ripeness  were  shipped  by  freight  from  Anna  tp  Chicago, 
a  distance  of  328  miles,  then  reshipped  by  express  to  a  suburban 
town  and  there  tested  for  condition  and  quality.  Each  basket  was 
composed  of  specimens  as  uniform  in  ripeness  as  it  was  possible  to 
secure  them.  The  condition  of  the  various  lots  at  the  time  of  pick- 
ing was  as  follows : 

No.  i.     Over-ripe,  yellow,  not  very  firm. 

No.  2.     Slightly  yellow,  yet  very  firm. 

No.  3.     Gray.     Picked  as  soon  as  stems  would  part  readily  from  the  melon. 

No.  4.     Green,  with  a  slight  tinge  of  yellow  on  under  side.     In  only  three 

of  these  melons  was  there  any  sign  of  a  crack  about  the  stem. 
No.  5.     Green.    Well  netted,  but  with  no  indication  of  change  of  color,  even 

on  under  side,  or  crack  about  stem. 

These  melons  were  picked  Monday  forenoon,  August  5,  1907, 
packed  early  in  the  afternoon,  and  loaded  into  a  ventilated  freight 
car  about  4:  oo  p.  M.  They  were  consigned  to  a  Chicago  commis- 
sion house,  and  reached  the  firm's  store  on  South  Water  street  at 
10:00  A.  M.,  Wednesday,  August  7.  Their  condition  at  that  time 
—the  condition  in  which  they  would  normally  have  been  put  on  the 
general  market — was  as  follows  : 

No.  I.  Yellow ;    wilted. 

No.  2.  Yellow;    slightly  wilted. 

No.  3.  Slightly  yellow    slightly  willed. 

No.  4.  Gray;   slightly  wilted. 

No.  5.  Gray;    firm. 

Nos.  i  and  2  were  too  soft  and  ripe  except  for  local  trade. 
No.  3  was  said  by  the  commission  man  to  be  in  the  most  desirable 


300  BULLETIN  No.  124.  [April, 

condition  of  all,  and  suitable  for  any  trade,  either  local,  suburban 
or  shipping.  Nos.  4  and  5  were  in  good  condition  for  the  ship- 
ping trade. 

The  conditions  under  which  these  melons  were  picked  and 
handled  were  favorable  to  their  reaching  the  market  in  good  order, 
even  though  they  were  shipped  without  refrigeration;  for  the 
weather  was  comparatively  cool  for  this  season  of  the  year.  The 
official  temperatures  at  Chicago  for  the  three  days  these  melons 
were  enroute  were  as  follows  : 

Max.  Min.  Mean. 

August  5  84  64  74 

"6  86  68  77 

7  79  69  74 

After  examination  on  South  Water  street,  these  melons  were  re- 
shipped  by  express  to  a  suburban  town  twenty-two  miles  distant. 
There  they  were  delivered  by  the  express  company  at  5 :  oo  p.  M. 
At  that  time  all  were  slightly  more  wilted,  and  Lots  3  and  4  were 
slightly  more  yellow  in  color,  than  at  10 :  oo  A.  M. 

At  6:00  P.  M.  basket  No.  I  was  opened  and  unpacked.  Three 
specimens  in  the  bottom  layer  were  mouldy  and  unfit  for  use.  Five 
melons  from  the  top  layer  were  cut  and  tested  at  this  time.  The 
•flesh  was  very  soft.  Three  were  of  good  flavor,  one  fair,  and  one 
poor. 

After  the  removal  of  the  melons  mentioned,  the  rest  of  the  mel- 
ons in  basket  No.  I,  together  with  the  other  four  baskets,  were 
placed  in  a  cool  cellar.  This  was  at  6  :  oo  p.  M.,  Wednesday,  Aug- 
ust 7. 

At  7  o'clock  the  following  morning,  i.  e.,  Thursday,  August  8, 
two  representative  melons  from  each  basket  were  cut  and  tested. 
This  was  the  time  at  which  the  melons  would  normally  have  reached 
the  consumer's  table  if  they  had  gone  without  delay  through  the 
regular  avenues  of  trade,  instead  of  being  kept  under  the  control 
of  the  Experiment  Station.  The  condition  of  the  melons  cut  at  this 
time  was  as  follows  : 

Lot  i.  Flesh  soft  and  juicy;  one  of  fine  flavor,  the  other  good  but  rather 
strong. 

Lot  2.     Flesh  soft  and  juicy;   one  of  fine  and  the  other  of  good  flavor. 

Lot  3.  Flesh  in  ideal  condition,  neither  too  soft  nor  too  firm;  both  of 
fine  flavor. 

Lot  4.  Flesh  in  practically  same  condition  as  Lot  3 ;  flavor  good  but  not 
so  fine  as  Lot.  3. 

Lot  5.  Flesh  firm;  and  of  good  flavor,  but  with  a  slightly  green  taste,  es- 
pecially in  one  of  the  specimens. 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMEUJN. 


301 


The  rest  of  the  melons  from  Lot  i  were  cut  during  the  day, 
Thursday.  The  flesh  was  soft  or  breaking  down  in  every  case,  and 
the  flavor  inclined  to  be  rather  strong,  though  good.  None  were 
of  fine  flavor.  The  melons  of  the  other  four  lots,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  two  specimens  from  each  lot  previously  tested,  were 
examined  and  tested  Thursday,  Friday  and  Saturday.  Lot  2  was 
tested  at  n  :  oo  A.  M.,  Thursday,  Lots  3  and  4  at  5  :  oo  P.  M.,  Fri- 
day, and  Lot  5  at  6 :  oo  A.  M.,  Saturday.  The  results  of  these  tests 
are  given  in  Table  i,  which  indicates  the  number  of  melons  in  each 
lot  which  were  found  to  be  in  each  of  the  conditions  specified,  at  the 
time  the  respective  lots  were  tested. 

TABLE  1.  — CONDITION   OF   MELONS   PICKED    AT   DIFFERENT   DEGREES   OF 

RIPENESS 


Lot  No. 

2 

3' 

4 

5 

Mouldy  or  otherwise  unfit  (too  soft)  for  use     

3 

1 

Flesh  beginning  to  break  down: 

1 

4 

2 

1 

"        strong,  yet  good  

4 

3 

~> 

2 

"        fair     .    .       

1 

Flesh  in  ideal  condition: 
Flavor  fine  

5 

4 

1 

"         jrood.  . 

2 

1 

3 

2 

"         good,  but  with  a  slightly  green  taste 

3 

2 

"         fair   with  a  green  taste  

1 

a 

1 

Flesh  firm: 

1 

"         fair   with  a  green  taste   

1 

1 

Flesh  spongy  and  light  colored;  flavor  poor  

1 

Total  number  of  melons  

15 

13 

12 

IS 

These  data  show  that  under  the  conditions  of  this  test,  Lot  3 
proved  the  most  satisfactory,  all  things  considered.  In  Lots  i  and 
2,  too  many  melons  spoiled  on  account  of  over-ripeness.  Although 
most  of  the  melons  in  Lot  4  were  of  good  flavor,  they  lacked  the 
rich  sweetness  characteristic  of  the  best  specimens  in  Lots  2  and  3 ; 
while  nine  of  the  specimens  in  Lot  5  were  so  immature  that  they 
were  not  even  "good"  in  flavor,  and  there  was  only  one  really  fine 
flavored  specimen  in  the  entire  lot. 

This  test  fully  substantiates  the  view  of  those  who  hold  that  to 
insure  the  best  flavor,  the  proper  time  for  picking  gem  melons  in 
Illinois  for  shipment  to  the  Chicago  market  is  just  as  soon  as  the 


302  BULLETIN  No.  124.  [April, 

melon  will  part  readily  from  the  stem,  but  not  before.  At  this  stage 
of  maturity  a  crack  has  appeared  about  the  stem,  and  the  color  of 
the  melon  has  changed  from  green  to  gray,  but  usually  has  not 
become  yellow,  except  on  the  under  side  of  the  fruit.  Occasionally 
a  melon  will  begin  to  turn  yellow  on  the  upper  side  before  a  crack 
appears  at  the  stem.  In  that  case,  the  melon  should  be  picked,  even 
if  it  is  necessary  to  cut  the  stem. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  melons  will  be  of  richer  flavor  if  picked 
at  the  stage  above  indicated,  it  is  sometimes  advisable  to  pick  them 
greener,  especially  in  hot  weather  and  at  points  where  refrigerator 
cars  cannot  be  secured.  They  are  then  surer  to  reach  the  market 
in  good  condition.  However,  it  requires  much  more  skill  to  pick 
melons  before  they  will  part  readily  from  the  stem,  for  there  is 
always  danger  of  cutting  them  too  green.  If  they  have  not  turned 
gray  by  the  time  they  reach  the  market,  the  trade  does  not  want 
them.  A  skillful  picker  can  gather  melons  at  the  stage  of  ripeness 
indicated  in  Lot  4,  and  be  sure  of  having  them  reach  the  market  in 
presentable  condition;  but  if  an  attempt  is  made  to  pick  them  any 
greener,  or  if  a  miscellaneous  lot  of  ordinary  hands  is  doing  the 
picking,  the  results  are  likely  to  be  very  unsatisfactory. 

In  order  that  the  melons  may  have  any  degree  of  uniformity  in 
ripeness  it  is  essential  that  the  plantation  be  picked  over  every  day ; 
and  at  the  height  of  the  season,  the  ripening  may  be  so  rapid  as  to 
necessitate  picking  twice  a  day. 

GRADING 

The  grading  of  melons  is  not  a  common  practice  in  Illinois. 
The  usual  custom  is  to  pack  the  entire  crop  indiscriminately,  with 
the  exception  of  the  very  poorest  specimens,  which  are  discarded  as 
culls.  This  indiscriminate  packing,  resulting  in  lack  of  uniformity 
in  the  specimens  in  the  same  package,  and  in  the  contents  of  dif- 
ferent packages  shipped  under  the  same  brand,  has  made  it  impos- 
sible for  the  trade  to  handle  the  ordinary  run  of  Illinois  melons  with 
any  degree  of  certainty  as  to  the  quality  of  the  stock.  As  long  as 
this  situation  obtains,  the  highest  prices  cannot  be  realized. 

That  proper  grading  results  in  the  securing  of  better  prices  than 
indiscriminate  packing  is  evidenced  by  the  experience  of  certain 
growers  who  have  departed  from  the  usual  custom,  and  practice  a 
regular  system  of  grading  whereby  three  distinct  grades  of  market- 
able melons  are  made,  and  shipped  under  three  different  brands. 
Such  a  system  of  grading  and  branding  makes  it  possible  for  the 
commission  man  to  place  the  different  grades  with  the  different 


1908.]  MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON.  303 

classes  of  trade,  instead  of  being  obliged  to  sell  the  entire  shipment 
as  ungraded  stock  to  undiscriminating  purchasers.  As  a  result,  the 
best  grade  often  brings  double  the  price  of  ungraded  stock  on  the 
same  market,  while  the  lowest  grade  usually  sells  for  practically  the 
same  as  ungraded  stock,  so  that  the  excess  in  price  received  for  the 
higher  grades  is  practically  all  clear  gain  as  a  result  of  grading. 

The  quality  of  a  melon  is  the  primary  factor  which  determines 
its  grade,  though  aize  and  condition  are  also  to  be  considered.  Ex- 
tremely high  quality  and  uniformity  in  size  and  condition  are  es- 
sential in  the  making  of  a  fancy  grade.  The  size  must  also  be 
normal  and  the  packing  perfect.  The  No.  I  grade  should  be  of 
nearly  as  high  quality  as  the  fancy  grade,  but  may  include  odd  sizes, 
though  the  different  specimens  in  a  given  package  should  be  fairly 
uniform  in  size.  This  grade  may  include  melons  too  large  or  too 
small  for  the  fancy  grade.  The  No.  2  grade  should  consist  of  the 
balance  of  the  salable  melons.  These  should  be  of  fair  quality  and 
far  superior  to  the  flavorless  culls  sometimes  shipped  by  unscrupu- 
lous growers. 

There  is  a  close  relation  between  the  amount  and  character  of 
netting  and  the  quality  of  a  melon,  so  that,  after  a  little  experience, 
it  is  possible  to  grade  melons  with  extreme  accuracy  as  to  quality, 
on  the  basis  of  netting.  As  a  rule,  the  denser  and  more  fully  devel- 
oped the  netting,  the  better  the  quality  of  the  melon.  The  netting 
should  stand  out  like  whip-cords  on  melons  graded  as  fancy  stock. 
Well  netted  melons,  in  which  the  netting  is  not  quite  so  prominent, 
together  with  off  sizes  of  the  best-netted  melons,  may  be  graded  as 
No.  i.  Specimens  with  still  less  netting,  but  in  which  the  netting 
is  fairly  well  developed,  may  be  graded  as  No.  2.  The  extent  to 
which  the  netting  is  developed  is  more  important  than  the  absolute 
amount  of  netting  in  determining  whether  a  given  specimen  shall 
be  graded  as  a  No.  2  or  a  cull.  Melons  in  which  the  netting  is  very 
poorly  developed,  as  well  as  those  without  any  netting,  should  be 
classed  as  culls.  Cracked  and  over-ripe  specimens  must  be  graded 
as  culls  even  though  of  fine  quality,  for  they  would  be  likely  to  spoil 
before  reaching  the  consumer.  Melons  having  the  characteristic 
netting  of  the  four  grades  above  mentioned  are  illustrated  in  Fig- 
ures 3  and  4.  A  careful  study  of  these  illustrations  will  aid  the 
purchaser  in  selecting  gem  melons  on  the  market,  as  well  as  the  pro- 
ducer in  grading  them  for  the  market. 

The  above  considerations  refer  to  the  grading  of  melons  from  a 
plantation  in  which  the  vines  are  in  a  normal  and  vigorous  condi- 
tion. As  the  season  advances  and  the  vines  become  somewhat  weak- 


304 


BULLETIN  No.  124. 


[April, 


FIG.  3.    FANCY  A!ELON  ABOVE;    No.  i  MELON  BELOW, 


MARKETING  THE  MUSK  MELON. 


305 


FIG.  4.    No.  2  MELON  ABOVE;    CULL  MELON  BELOW. 


396  BULLETIN  No.  124.  [April, 

ened,  more  and  more  severe  grading  must  be  practiced,  until  finally 
it  may  become  necessary  to  eliminate  the  No.  i  and  fancy  grades 
and  ship  only  No.  2  stock.  This  stock  will  be  much  better  netted 
than  that  shipped  under  the  same  brand  earlier  in  the  season  on 
account  of  the  more  severe  grading,  and  should  be  of  fully  as  good 
quality.  All  through  the  shipping  season,  a  few  melons  should  be 
cut  and  tested  each  day,  so  that  the  basis  of  grading  may  be  changed 
as  the  conditions  warrant.  In  this  way  only  can  the  grower  be  cer- 
tain that  he  is  shipping  the  same  quality  of  melon  under  the  same 
brand  throughout  the  season. 

PACKING 

While  the  grading  of  melons  as  to  quality  is  of  extreme  import- 
ance, the  full  benefit  of  such  grading  cannot  be  secured  unless  meth- 
ods of  packing  are  employed  which  will  enable  the  melons  to  present 
an  attractive  appearance  upon  the  market.  This  means  that  the  mel- 
ons in  a  given  package  must  be  fairly  uniform  in  size,  arranged  in 
an  attractive  manner,  and  so  packed  that  each  specimen  will  remain 
in  the  exact  position  where  it  was  placed  by  the  packer.  The  pack- 
ing must  be  tight,  and  yet  the  melons  not  bruised  by  being  jammed 
into  place. 

Considerable  difficulty  is  sometimes  experienced  by  growers  in 
packing  melons  of  different  sizes.  Much  of  this  difficulty  can  be 
avoided  by  grading  the  melons  according  to  size  as  well  as  quality, 
and  adopting  different  styles  of  pack  to  accommodate  the  different 
sizes.  If  this  is  done,  nearly  all  sizes  of  gem  melons  can  readily  be 
packed  in  climax  baskets. 

Since  the  basket  is  larger  at  the  top  than  at  the  bottom,  two  dis- 
tinct sizes  of  mefon  must  be  used  in  the  packing  of  each  basket, 
though  the  difference  between  these  two  sizes  should  be  as  slight  as 
is  consistent  with  tight  packing  and  the  handling  of  the  entire  crop. 
The  melons  in  each  layer  should  be  as  uniform  as  possible  in  size 
and  shape. 

In  handling  the'product  of  experimental  plantations  in  1906  and 
1907,  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  employ  at  various  times  the 
different  styles  of  pack  illustrated  below.  The  basket  used  was  of 
the  following  dimensions,  inside  measure : 

Width  of  bottom,  6  inches. 

Length  at  bottom,  16^2  inches. 

Width  at  top  (packed),  jy2  to  8]/2  inches. 

Length  at  top,  18^2  inches. 

Depth   (not  including  cover),  6^4  inches. 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON. 


307 


While  the  baskets  made  by  different  factories  vary  slightly  in 
size  and  shape,  this  basket  is  fairly  representative  of  the  package 
commonly  used  for  the  shipment  of  gem  melons  in  Illinois,  and  the 
styles  of  pack  described  can  be  employed  with  any  of  the  standard 
makes  of  one-third  bushel  climax  baskets. 

The  ideal  pack  for  fancy  basket  melons,  and  the  one  for  which 
this  basket  was  built,  consists  of  eight  melons  in  each  layer,  those 
in  the  bottom  being  packed  break-joint  but  touching  their  neighbors 
on  all  sides,  and  those  in  the  top  layer  being  straight  across  from 
one  another.  (See  middle  basket  in  Figures  5  and  6.)  Melons 


FIG.  5.     PACKING  MELONS  OF  DIFFERENT  SIZES:     BOT- 
TOM LAYER  IN  THREE  STYLES  OF  PACK. 


«• 


FIG.  6.     TOP  LAYER  OF   SAME  BASKETS   AS   SHOWN 
IN  FIG.  5. 


308  BULLETIN  No.  124.  [April, 

measuring  approximately  3^2  by  4  inches  and  weighing  from 
twelve  to  fourteen  ounces  each  are  the  right  size  for  the  bottom 
layer.  If  the  melons  are  rather  long  in  proportion  to  their  width 
only  seven  specimens  will  be  required  to  fill  the  bottom  layer.  (See 
Fig.  7.)  In  this  case  the  melons  will  be  over  four  inches  long  and 
will  weigh  nearly  one  pound  each.  The  melons  in  the  top  layer 
weigh  about  one  and  one-fourth  pounds  each,  and  measure  approxi- 
mately 4  by  4j/  inches.  When  the  melons  grow  to  normal  size,  a 


FIG.  7.    BOTTOM  LAYER  CONSISTING  OF  SEVEN  MELONS. 

large  proportion  of  the  crop  can  be  packed  in  this  style,  since  all 
sizes  between  those  mentioned  can  readily  be  handled,  as  well  as 
some  slightly  larger,  if  care  is  taken  in  their  distribution. 

If  the  melons  are  short  in  proportion  to  their  width,  so  that 
they  are  practically  spherical  or  even  slightly  flattened,  as  is  often 
the  case  early  in  the  season,  or  in  a  dry  season,  it  will  require  ten 
specimens  instead  of  eight  to  fill  the  top  of  the  basket,  as  is 
indicated  in  the  basket  at  the  right  in  Fig.  6.  Specimens  of  this 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON. 


309 


shape,  approximately  four  inches  in  diameter,  weigh  slightly  less 
than  one  pound  each. 

Sometimes  the  early  pickings  include  so  many  extremely  small 
melons  of  good  quality  that  it  is  necessary  to  introduce  a  style  of 
pack  for  the  bottom  layer  like  that  shown  in  the  basket  at  the  right 
in  Fig.  5.  These  melons  measure  approximately  3^  by  3^  inches, 
and  weigh  about  ten  ounces  each.  It  requires  ten  of  them  to  cover 
the  bottom  of  the  basket,  and  they  are  the  smallest  size  that  should 
ever  be  shipped.  This  style  of  packing  the  bottom  layer  should  not 
be  employed  in  combination  with  a  top  layer  containing  less  than 
ten  melons.  Otherwise  the  difference  in  size  between  the  melons 
in  the  two  layers  would  be  too  great. 

For  melons  nearly  spherical  in  form,  but  slightly  too  large  for 
two  specimens  to  be  packed  side  by  side  in  the  top  layer,  a  style  of 
pack  like  that  indicated  at  the  right  in  Fig.  8  may  be  employed. 
There  are  eight  melons  in  the  top  layer  the  same  as  in  the  middle 
basket  in  Fig.  6,  but  the  style  of  pack  is  not  so  attractive.  The  bot- 


STYLES  OF  PACK  FOR  MELONS  SLIGHTLY 
OVER-GROWN. 


torn  layer  is  packed  the  same  as  in  the  other  case,  and  the  melons 
in  the  top  layer  break  joint  with  those  below,  so  that  the  top  of  the 
package  is  practically  no  higher  than  in  the  other  case,  though  the 
melons  in  the  upper  layer  are  larger. 

If  the  melons  are  elongated  rather  than  spherical,  and  slightly 
too  large  to  be  packed  side  by  side  in  the  top  layer,  this  layer  may 
consist  of  seven  melons  instead  of  eight.  (See  basket  at  left  in 
Fig.  8.)  In  this  case  the  bottom  layer  also  should  consist  of 


310 


BULLETIN  No.  124. 


[April, 


seven  melons,  and  the  specimens  in  the  two  layers  break  joint.  The 
melons  used  in  the  top  layer  weigh  nearly  one  and  one-half  pounds 
each  and  measure  from  4*4  to  4^  by  4^/2  to  5  inches. 

Specimens  too  large  for  the  style  of  pack  just  described  may  be 
packed  in  the  tops  of  baskets  containing  five  melons  in  each  layer, 
those  in  the  top  layer  alternating  with  those  at  the  bottom.  (See 
Fig.  9  and  also  basket  at  left  in  Figures  5  and  6.)  If  the  melons 
are  broad  in  proportion  to  their  length,  there  will  be  considerable 
space  between  the  specimens,  especially  in  the  bottom  layer  (See 
Fig.  5),  but  each  fruit  is  held  tightly  in  place  by  pressure  against 
its  neighbors,  and  the  melons  in  the  upper  layer  rest  in  the  spaces 


FIG.  9.    STYLE  OF  PACK  FOR  EXTRA  LARGE  SPECIMENS. 

between  those  of  the  lower  layer,  so  that  although  the  melons  are 
large  they  do  not  extend  so  far  above  the  rim  of  the  basket  as  to 
prevent  putting  on  the  cover.  Melons  weighing  from  one  and  three- 
fourths  to  two  pounds  and  measuring  from  4^  to  4^4  by  5  to  5^2 
inches  can  readily  be  worked  into  the  top  layer  of  this  style  of  pack ; 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON. 


311 


and  since  gem  melons  seldom  attain  a  larger  size,  the  introduction 
of  this  pack  makes  it  possible  to  put  up  the  entire  crop  in  baskets 
if  the  grower  so  desires,  and  obviates  the  necessity  of  resorting  to 
flats  or  boxes.  The  melons  used  for  the  bottom  layer  in  this  style 
of  pack  are  of  practically  the  same  size  as  those  employed  in  the 
top  layer  of  the  standard  pack  first  described;  and  only  so  many 
specimens  of  this  size  are  used  in  this  style  of  pack  as  are  necessary 
for  the  bottoms  of  enough  baskets  to  take  care  of  the  over-grown 
specimens.  This  style  of  pack  is  not  especially  attractive,  since  the 
basket  does  not  appear  well  filled,  but  is  preferable  to  the  mixing  of 
large  and  extremely  small  melons  in  the  same  basket,  and  is  the 
easiest  way  of  handling  the  over-grown  stock. 

The  relative  proportion  of  the  crop  which  can  be  packed  in  each 
of  the  different  styles  will  vary  from  season  to  season,  and  at  dif- 
ferent times  during  the  same  season,  and  it  may  at  times  be  neces- 
sary to  introduce  styles  of  pack  other  than  those  here  described. 
Sometimes  a  small  melon  is  introduced  into  the  top  layer  to  serve 
as  a  wedge  to  hold  the  other  melons  in  place  (See  Fig.  10),  but  this 
should  be  avoided  as  far  as  possible. 

In  the  above  considerations  it  has  been  assumed  that  the  entire 
crop  is  to  be  packed  in  baskets.  If  the  fancy  stock  of  suitable  size 


FIG.  10.    BASKETS  OF  MELONS  OF  DIFFERENT  GRADES  :    FANCY,  No.  2,  AND  CULLS. 


312 


BULLETIN  No.  124. 


[April, 


is  to  be  packed  in  the  small  crates  previously  mentioned,  there  will 
be  a  much  smaller  proportion  of  the  standard  8  by  8  pack  first 
described,  for  a  large  proportion  of  the  specimens  that  could  be 
used  in  the  top  layer  would  fit  well  in  the  crates. 

Whatever  style  of  pack  or  package  is  used,  the  appearance  of 
the  goods  upon  the  market  will  be  greatly  enhanced  if  care  is  taken 
in  the  placing  of  each  individual  specimen  in  the  package.  Each 
melon  'should  be  placed  upon  its  side,  with  its  ribs  extending  length- 
wise of  the  package  and  its  most  attractive  side  appearing  upper- 
most, or  where  it  will  show  to  best  advantage  after  the  cover  is 
placed  upon  the  package.  Ideal  packing  of  strictly  fancy  stock  is 
shown  in  the  basket  at  the  left  in  Fig.  10.  The  basket  in  the  center 
shows  well  packed  No.  2  stock,  while  the  one  at  the  right  is  a  basket 
of  culls,  not  intended  for  shipment.  (See  also  Fig.  I.) 

With  fancy  stock  packed  in  baskets,  it  is  best  to  use  a  two-slat 
cover,  since  this  shows  off  the  contents  of  the  basket  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. For  ungraded  or  No.  2  stock,  many  prefer  a  cover  con- 


FIG.  ii.    BASKETS  OF  MELONS  WITH  TWO-SLAT  AND  SINGLE-SLAT  COVERS. 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON.  313 

sisting  of  one  broad  top  slat,  so  that  a  narrow  strip  along  one  side 
of  each  melon  in  the  top  layer  is  all  that  can  be  seen  of  the  basket's 
contents.  When  this  type  of  cover  is  employed,  a  skillful  packer 
can  put  up  No.  2  stock  in  such  a  manner  that  it  makes  a  much  bet- 
ter appearance  than  poorly  packed  No.  I  stock. 

If  the  best  results  are  to  be  secured,  neatness  should  characterize 
not  only  the  arrangement  of  the  melons  in  the  package,  but  also  the 
package  itself,  the  putting  on  of  the  cover  and  the  stenciling  for 
shipment.  Rough  or  soiled  packages  should  never  be  used  for  fancy 
stock,  and  preferably  not  even  for  No.  2.  The  covers  should  be 
put  on  straight,  and  the  wires  that  hold  them  in  place  smoothly 
clinched.  The  stencil  also  should  be  put  on  straight,  and  at  the 
same  point  on  each  and  every  package.  Crates  should  be  marked 
on  both  ends,  and  baskets  on  both  the  handle  and  the  cover.  In  the 
stenciling,  a  proper  amount  of  ink  should  be  used,  so  that  the  marks 
are  neither  dim  nor  daubed.  These  items  may  seem  trivial,  but  they 
all  have  an  important  bearing  upon  the  appearance  of  the  package 
and  hence  the  salableness  of  the  product. 

THE  PACKING  SHED 

Sometimes  melons  are  packed  from  the  ground  in  the  open  field 
or  under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  but  nearly  all  progressive  growers  pro- 
vide a  shed  of  some  sort  to  protect  both  melons  and  packers  from 
showers  as  well  as  sunshine,  and  to  facilitate  the  packing.  The 
shed  is  often  only  a  temporary  structure,  since  the  melon  patch  is 
usually  shifted  to  new  ground  each  year.  Its  essential  features 
are  a  packing  bench  or  table,  ample  light  and  a  roof  that  does  not 
leak.  It  may  or  may  not  be  boarded  up  at  the  back  and  sides.  If 
not  boarded  up,  it  is  usually  provided  with  a  curtain  which  may  be 
shifted  from  one  side  to  another  as  the  day  progresses.  Often  a 
canvas  wagon  cover  is  used  for  this  purpose.  Facilities  for  grading 
the  melons  are  usually  not  provided,  since  the  grading  is  not  often 
practiced.  However,  the  addition  of  a  narrow  shelf  at  the  front  of 
the  shed  is  all  that  would  be  absolutely  necessary  for  this  purpose. 
The  baskets  as  they  come  from  the  pickers  are  placed  on  this  shelf 
and  the  melons  sorted  as  they  are  transferred  to  the  packing  table. 
The  table  should  be  divided  into  bins  to  receive  the  different  grades, 
and  boxes  provided  for  the  culls.  This  arrangement  leaves  the 
sorter  outside  the  shed  and  involves  the  facing  of  the  shed  to  the 
north,  to  protect  both  sorter  and  melons  from  the  sun.  Even  then 
the  protection  is  not  complete  unless  the  roof  boards  extend  consid- 
erably beyond  the  front  of  the  shed.  If  roof  boards  fourteen  feet 


314 


BULLETIN  No.  124. 


[April, 


FIG.  12.    PACKING  SHED  BOARDED  UP  AT  BACK  AND  SIDES. 


FIG.  13.    SIMPLE  PACKING  SHED,  WITH  CURTAIN. 


I9o8.} 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON. 


315 


long  are  used  for  a  shed  ten  feet  wide,  the  protection  will  be  fairly 
complete. 

However,  when  the  melons  are  coming  in  rapidly  from  the 
pickers,  the  narrow  shelf  soon  becomes  congested,  and  the  baskets 
must  be  placed  upon  the  ground  behind  the  sorter.  This  necessitates 
his  stooping  to  reach  them  and  may  leave  part  of  the  melons  in  the 
sun.  To  facilitate  matters  for  the  sorter,  a  bench  may  be  provided 
on  which  to  place  the  baskets  of  melons  brought  in  from  the  pick- 
ers. This  bench  is  the  same  height  as  the  sorter's  shelf,  and  extends 
the  entire  length  of  the  shed.  It  is  separated  from  the  shelf  by  an 
alley  two  feet  wide,  in  which  the  sorter  stands.  The  filled  baskets 
from  the  pickers  are  placed  on  the  bench;  the  sorter  shifts  them 
to  the  shelf  in  front  of  him  as  needed,  and  when  emptied  drops  them 
under  the  bench  where  they  are  readily  accessible  to  those  bringing 
in  the  filled  baskets.  Thus  no  time  is  lost  and  there  is  no  accumu- 
lation of  baskets  about  the  sorter's  feet. 

If  the  outside  posts  supporting  the  bench  are  extended  to  a 
height  of  six  or  seven  feet  and  connected  by  a  cross-bar,  it  is  easy 
to  protect  the  unsorted  melons  from  a  sudden  shower  by  dropping 


FIG.  14.     SHED  ARRANGED  FOR  EXPEDITIOUS  GRADING  AND  PACKING  OF  MELONS. 

a  wagon  cover  from  the  front  of  the  roof,  over  this  cross-bar.     A 
shed  built  on  this  plan  is  shown  in  Fig.  14. 


316 


BULLETIN  No.   124. 


[April, 


Instead  of  depending  upon  a  canvas  to  protect  the  unsorted  mel- 
ons in  case  of  a  shower,  and  to  provide  more  complete  shelter  for 
the  sorter  and  melons  at  all  times,  the  bench,  together  with  the  alley 
occupied  by  the  sorter,  may  be  covered  by  a  board  roof  extending 


O 


FIG.  15.    SECTIONAL  VIEW  AND  PLAN  OF  MELON  PACKING  SHED. 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON.  (  317 

from  the  gable  to  the  cross-bar.  This  makes  a  shed  with  a  gable 
roof  of  unequal  span,  instead  of  a  simple  shed  roof.  A  sectional 
view  and  plan  of  such  a  shed  are  presented  in  Fig.  15.  The  shed 
may  be  built  of  any  length  desired,  depending  upon  the  size  of  the 
crop  to  be  handled.  The  one  here  illustrated  is  twelve  by  sixteen 
feet,  and  accommodates  a  working  force  of  one  sorter  and  either 
two  or  three  packers,  besides  a  boy  to  put  on  covers.  There  is 
sufficient  room  for  stacking  two  wagon  loads  of  packed  melons. 

For  the  sake  of  economy  in  the  construction  of  a  shed  of  this 
kind,  the  posts  are  usually  cut  from  the  timber,  so  that  a  compara- 
tively small  amount  of  sawed  lumber  is  used  in  the  frame.  The 
posts  are  set  deeply  in  the  ground  so  that  they  will  retain  their 
position  without  much  bracing. 

For  the  construction  of  the  shed  here  illustrated,  besides  nine 
long  posts  for  supporting  the  roof  and  twelve  short  ones  for  the 
table  and  bench,  the  following  bill  of  lumber  would  be  needed : 

4  2  x4's,  12  ft.,  for  supporting  roof 

4  2  x  4's,  4':8",  for  supporting-  packing  table 

4  2x4's,  2':4",  for  supporting  receiving  bench 

24  boards  I"xl2",  12  ft.,  for  roof,  laid  with  3  inch  lap 
6  "        l"x  12",  12  ft.,  for  packing  table  and  receiving  bench 

6  "       I"xl2",  12  ft.,  for  boarding  up  south  side 

1  "        l"x  12",  12  ft.,  for  partitions  in  packing  table 

2  "        l"x  6",  12  ft.,  for  sorting  and  packing  shelves 

1  "       l"x  6",  12  ft,  for  front  wall  of  table 

2  "       I"x6",  6  ft.,  for  bracing  ridgepole 

The  short  two  by  four's  for  supporting  the  packing  table  and 
receiving  bench  could  be  sawed  from  two  pieces  each  fourteen  feet 
long.  A  summary  of  the  bill  of  lumber  would  therefore  be  as  fol- 
lows : 


4     2x4's,  12  ft. 
2     2x4's,  14  ft. 
37     I"xl2",  12  ft. 
4     I"x6",  12  ft. 

Total, 

32  board  feet 
19      " 
444      "         " 
24      " 

519  board  feet 

At  $30.00  per  M.  this  lumber  would  cost  $15.57.  This  is  a 
larger  amount  than  is  usually  expended  for  material  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  temporary  shed;  and  if  other  sides  were  boarded  up, 
the  amount  would  be  still  greater.  This  type  of  shed  is  better  suited 
to  a  location  at  the  intersection  of  the  boundaries  of  three  or  four 
fields  which  are  to  be  used  successively  for  the  growing  of  melons 
than  to  an  isolated  field  where  melons  are  to  be  grown  only  one 


318  BULLETIN  No.  124.  [April, 

season.  For  the  last  named  situation  it  is  probable  that  a  shed  like 
the  one  shown  in  Fig.  13  would  be  preferable.  The  lumber  used  in 
the  construction  of  that  particular  shed  was  as  follows : 

3  2x4's,  12  ft.,  for  supporting  roof 

3  2  x  4's,     5  ft.,  for  supporting  table 

16  boards  l"x  12",  12  ft.,  for  roof 

3  "        l"x  12",  12ft.,  for  table 

1         "       l"x  10",  12  ft.,  for  back  wall  of  table 

4  "       I"x6",  12  ft.,  for  shelves,  front  wall  and 

partitions  of  table 

This  lumber  amounts  to  a  total  of  296  feet.  At  $30.00  per  M. 
it  would  cost  $8.88.  This  shed  has  facilities  for  grading,  but  does 
not  fully  protect  the  ungraded  melons  from  the  sun,  and  the  space 
for  stacking  melons  after  packing  is  somewhat  less  than  in  the  shed 
previously  described. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  WORKING  FORCE 

Since  the  entire  melon  patch  must  be  picked  over  each  day,  and 
since  the  melons  must  be  shipped  the  clay  they  are  picked,  it  is  essen- 
tial that  a  larger  force  of  workmen  be  maintained  than  would  seem 
necessary  to  handle  the  crop  early  in  the  season  when  the  picking 
is  light.  It  invariably  happens  that  at  some  time  during  the  season 
the  melons  ripen  very  rapidly,  so  that  a  patch  which  has  been  yield- 
ing fifty  to  seventy-five  baskets  per  day,  may  suddenly  produce  over 
two  hundred ;  and  unless  the  grower  is  prepared  for  such  an  emer- 
gency, some  day  he  will  have  more  melons  than  he  can  handle  and 
will  lose  a  large  quantity  on  account  of  over-ripeness.  To  be 
prepared  to  handle  the  heavy  pickings,  the  working  force  must  be 
thoroughly  organized  early  in  the  season,  and  while  there  is  plenty 
of  time,  each  person  trained  for  his  particular  duty,  so  that  when  the 
inevitable  rush  does  come,  the  entire  force  will  be  able  to  work  at 
its  maximum  capacity. 

The  number  of  workmen  needed  would  depend  upon  the  size 
of  the  plantation  and  the  quantity  of  melons  to  be  handled.  Ten 
persons  can  easily  pick  and  pack  two  hundred  baskets  of  melons  in 
a  half  day,  and  do  the  work  in  a  proper  manner,  provided  the  force 
has  been  well  organized  and  trained,  a  suitable  packing  shed  con- 
structed and  other  facilities  provided.  The  distribution  of  these 
workmen  would  be  about  as  follows:  Five  pickers,  who  stay  in 
the  patch,  and  merely  carry  their  filled  baskets  to  the  end  of  the 
row  or  to  a  driveway  through  the  patch  if  the  plantation  is  wide ; 
one  man  to  carry  or  haul  the  rilled  baskets  to  the  shed,  and  keep 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON.  319 

the  pickers  supplied  with  empty  baskets ;  one  sorter  or  grader,  who 
holds  the  most  responsible  position  on  the  force  and  must  be  an 
expert  judge  of  melons;  two  packers;  one  boy  to  put  on  covers 
and  stencil  the  packages  ready  for  shipment. 

With  such  a  force  in  operation,  the  melons  are  removed  to  the 
shade  of  the  shed  immediately  after  picking,  and  are  handled  di- 
rectly from  the  picking  baskets  to  the  packing  table  as  they  are 
sorted,  so  that  they  suffer  no  injury  from  repeated  handling.  A 
supply  of  empty  baskets  for  the  packers  is  kept  under  the  packing 
table  where  they  are  within  easy  reach.  The  packer  sets  his  filled 
baskets  on  the  ground  behind  him  where  the  "lidder"  puts  on  the 
covers  and  stencils,  and  then  stacks  the  baskets  at  the  back  of  the 
shed. 

As  soon  as  the  picking  is  finished,  while  the  sorter  and  packers 
are  completing  their  work,  the  head  picker,  who  is  usually  the 
grower  himself,  checks  over  the  stacks  of  baskets  and  makes  out  the 
shipping  book,  while  the  other  pickers  load  the  baskets  into  the 
wagons.  One  man  does  the  loading,  while  the  others  pass  him 
baskets  like  a  bucket  brigade.  If  train  time  is  approaching,  the 
wagons  will  be  loaded  by  the  time  the  last  basket  is  packed.  It 
then  only  remains  to  bind  on  the  canvas  cover  to  protect  the  melons 
from  sun  as  well  as  hold  the  load  in  place,  and  the  day's  product  is 
ready  to  start  for  the  station. 

The  wagons  used  for  hauling  the  melons  should  be  equipped 
with  bolster  springs,  unless  regular  market  wagons  are  employed. 
The  springs  must  be  especially  stout  so  that  a  full  load  may  be 
hauled.  One  hundred  baskets  make  a  convenient  load  for  handling 
in  an  ordinary  double-box  farm  wagon,  though  130  or  even  more 
can  safely  be  put  on  if  the  load  is  properly  roped. 

SELLING   THE    CROP 

After  the  melon  crop  has  been  carefully  picked,  graded  and 
packed,  success  in  its  marketing  is  dependent  upon  placing  the  pro- 
duct in  a  market  where  it  will  be  appreciated  to  such  an  extent  that 
substantial  evidence  of  this  appreciation  will  reach  the  grower's 
pocket.  Under  existing  conditions  there  are  three  general  methods 
of  marketing  open  to  the  Illinois  gro\ver :  Shipping  by  express  to 
commission  men  or  retail  dealers  in  the  smaller  cities,  shipping  by 
freight  to  commission  men  in  large  cities,  and  selling  to  local  buy- 
ers at  the  shipping  point. 

Each  of  these  methods  has  certain  advantages,  and  any  one  may 
be  superior  to  the  others  for  a  given  grower,  depending  upon  cir- 


320  BULLETIN  No.   124.  [April, 

ctimstances.  If  the  grower  is  located  where  melons  are  not  exten- 
sively grown  for  shipment,  he  must,  perforce,  ship  by  express,  since 
there  will  be  no  facilities  for  the  handling  of  perishable  goods  by 
freight.  In  that  case,  he  will  usually  ship  to  the  smaller  cities,  and 
let  the  shipping  points  that  send  out  melons  in  carload  lots  supply 
the  large  city  trade.  Usually,  melons  consigned  to  commission  men 
in  the  smaller  cities  do  not  sell  for  as  high  prices  early  in  the  season 
as  those  consigned  to  the  large  markets,  but  there  is  usually  less 
fluctuation  in  price  through  the  season,  so  that  the  average  price 
received  for  the  crop  may  be  fully  as  great  in  a  small  market  as  in 
a  large  one.  This  is  assuming  that  the  small  market  would  be  able 
to  handle  the  entire  product,  which  is  often  not  the  case.  The  great- 
est objection  to  the  small  market  is  the  ease  with  which  it  is  over- 
stocked. The  prices  may  not  drop  as  low  as  in  a  large  market,  but 
the  goods  simply  cannot  be  moved.  About  the  time  the  main  crop 
at  a  shipping  point  in  Southern  Illinois  is  ready  for  market,  the 
smaller  cities  to  the  north  which  may  have  been  taking  the  earlier 
shipments  at  satisfactory  prices,  begin  to  be  supplied  with  home- 
grown stock,  and  when  this  becomes  plentiful  the  stock  shipped  in 
from  other  points  is  usually  not  wanted  at  any  price.  The  grower 
who  has  been  depending  upon  this  kind  of  a  market  then  suddenly 
finds  himself  confronted  with  the  problem  of  seeking  another  outlet 
for  his  goods. 

Another  serious  defect  in  the  wholesale  markets  handling  goods 
on  consignment  in  the  smaller  cities,  is  that  no  premium  is  placed 
upon  superior  goods,  No.  2  and  ungraded  stock  usually  bringing 
the  same  price  as  a  strictly  fancy  article.  There  is  no  incentive  to 
proper  grading  and  packing  for  such  a  market. 

The  most  satisfactory  way  of  supplying  melons  to  the  markets 
of  the  smaller  cities  is  to  arrange  with  one  high-class  retailer  in 
each  city,  to  handle  a  certain  number  of  packages  of  a  given  grade 
each  day  through  the  shipping  season.  In  this  case,  each  shipment 
of  melons  is  usually  billed  out  at  a  price  set  by  the  grower  rather 
than  the  dealer.  In  this  way  it  is  often  possible  to  build  up  a 
very  satisfactory  trade  in  high  grade  melons.  The  most  serious 
drawback  to  this  method  of  marketing  is  the  impossibility  of  de- 
termining the  number  of  packages  that  can  be  furnished  per  day, 
and  hence  the  necessity  of  limiting  orders  to  the  supply  that  can 
normally  be  furnished.  This  makes  it  necessary  to  find  some  other 
way  of  marketing  part  of  the  crop.  When  the  pickings  are  heavy, 
the  surplus  is  usually  consigned  to  some  commission  man  located  in 
a  small  city  other  than  those  in  which  a  retail  dealer  is  being  sup- 
plied. 


MARKETING  THE  MUSKMELON.  321 

Since  transportation  by  express  is  always  expensive,  most  of 
the  growers  located  at  points  where  melons  are  shipped  in  quantity 
send  their  goods  by  freight  to  a  large  city  market  rather  than  by 
express  to  the  smaller  markets.  At  each  shipping  point  there  is 
usually  an  organization  of  the  growers,  which  makes  possible  the 
securing  of  better  railway  rates  and  accommodations  than  would  be 
the  case  where  the  growers  are  working  independently,  and  provides 
for  the  loading  of  the  cars,  and  other  matters  connected  with  the 
shipping  of  the  goods.  These  are  the  chief  functions  of  the  organi- 
zation as  operated  in  Illinois,  for  the  interests  of  the  various  grow- 
ers are  not  pooled.  Each  grower  consigns  his  melons  to  any  com- 
mission house  he  may  select  in  the  city  to  which  cars  are  being 
shipped.  Each  lot  of  melons  retains  its  identity  upon  the  market, 
and  returns  are  made  directly  to  each  grower  for  his  own  melons. 
The  grower  is  thus  directly  dependent  upon  his  own  commission 
man  for  the  prices  he  will  receive  for  his  goods. 

The  prices  secured  by  different  commission  men  for  the  same 
class  of  melons  on  the  same  market  the  same  day  differ  widely. 
Some  growers  change  commission  men  frequently,  in  the  hope  of 
securing  higher  prices;  but  such  results  seldom  follow,  especially 
when  the  market  is  well  supplied,  for  at  such  a  time  any  good  com- 
mission man  will  first  take  care  of  the  melons  from  his  regular 
shippers,  and  sacrifice  if  necessary  those  received  from  spasmodic 
shippers.  Other  growers  divide  each  day's  shipment  among  two  or 
three  firms  in  the  hope  of  getting  high  prices  for  part  of  the  goods 
each  day.  The  proportion  shipped  to  each  man  on  a  given  day  is 
usually  determined  by  his  latest  returns,  and  the  man  who  secured 
the  best  prices  one  clay,  may  secure  the  lowrest,  three  days  later,  so 
that  on  the  entire  season's  business,  little  or  nothing  is  gained  by 
dividing  shipments,  and  often  much  is  lost.  The  safest  plan  to 
follow  in  shipping  ipelons  to  a  large  city  market  is  for  the  grower 
to  make  arrangements  with  some  trustworthy  commission  firm  to 
handle  his  entire  product.  This  should  be  done  before  the  shipping 
season  begins.  If  the  grower  can  visit  the  market  and  talk  person- 
ally with  his  commission  man,  much  will  be  gained.  There  should 
be  a  specific  understanding  between  the  grower  and  the  commission 
man  regarding  the  grading  and  packing  of  the  melons,  and  the 
meaning  of  the  different  brands  to  be  used  on  the  packages,  so  that 
the  salesman  may  know  with  absolute  certainty  the  exact  character 
of  the  goods  contained  in  a  given  package.  This  will  enable  him  to 
place  the  different  grades  with  the  different  classes  of  trade,  and 
thus  realize  for  the  grower  the  largest  possible  proceeds  from  the 
entire  product. 


322  BULLETIN  No.   124.  [April,  1908. 

If  this  method  is  followed,  and  the  same  grades  of  melons  are 
shipped  under  the  same  brands  to  the  same  firm,  year  after  year,  the 
reputation  of  the  goods  will  soon  be  established,  and  there  will  be  a 
distinct  demand  for  them  at  prices  considerably  in  advance  of  those 
received  for  the  same  grades  of  melons  shipped  indiscriminately  to 
various  dealers. 

If  the  nature  of  the  growers'  organizations  in  Illinois  were  such 
that  provisions  were  made  for  a  definite  system  of  grading,  and 
rigid  inspection,  so  that  the  entire  output  of  an  association  could  be 
shipped  under  a  few  brands,  and  each  brand  guaranteed  to  be  uni- 
form in  grade  and  packing,  it  would  be  possible  for  the  association 
as  a  whole  to  establish  a  reputation,  as  above  suggested  for  the 
individual  grower  who  grades  and  packs  his  melons  properly. 

The  third  method  of  marketing — selling  to  a  local  buyer — has 
in  its  favor  the  fact  that  the  grower  knows  what  he  is  to  receive 
before  relinquishing  control  of  the  goods,  but  is  objectionable  in 
that  the  prices  are  based  on  the  market  for  ordinary  or  inferior 
grades  and  practically  no  advance  over  these  prices  is  paid  for 
fancy  goods.  The  man  who  grows  good  melons  and  grades  and 
packs  them  properly  can  realize  much  higher  prices  by  regularly 
shipping  them  to  a  good  commission  man  in  a  large  city  as  above 
outlined  than  by  selling  them  to  a  local  buyer. 


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